Shure Shares Spotlight in Memorable 2008 CMA Moments

December 9, 2008

NASHVILLE, TN, December 9, 2008 — Time is remembered in various ways — with a wink of an eye, longing for the past, and in the case of the 2008 Country Music Association Awards, certainly as indelible for Shure endorser Brad Paisley, who made it two in a row as the event's chosen male vocalist of the year. Co-hosting the awards show at the Sommet Center with Carrie Underwood, Paisley also took home the evening's best video award for "Waitin' on a Woman" (featuring Andy Griffith), and kicked off the program with "Start a Band," a duet with Keith Urban, using Shure UR2/SM58 and UR2/KSM9 wireless microphones, respectively.

Memorable moments onstage at the 42nd annual CMA Awards continued throughout the night with appearances by Shure endorsers Martina McBride, who sang "Ride" using a UR2/SM58 combination, and Miranda Lambert, whose rendition of "More Like Her" was heard via a UR2/Beta 58.

Performing with vocal prowess and clearly demonstrating why she's been chosen female vocalist of the year four times in the past, McBride served as a vital counterpoint to Lambert, whose moving delivery of her current single showcased talent of a different hue unseen or heard in songs like "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" and "Kerosene."

Off-camera and out of the limelight, Tom Davis of Nashville-based SeisMic Sound shared the title of audio producer with Michael Abbott. Davis, whose audio credits in TV, film, records, music videos, and commercials probably exceed categorization of being too long to list, remained calm and collected during this year's CMAs, despite the show's burgeoning growth.

"There was once a time when you wouldn't need a frequency coordinator for something like this," he notes, reflecting back himself on things past. "But those days are long gone. If there is any single challenge on the CMAs today that really stands out, it's the sheer size of things. There are literally hundreds of wireless frequencies in use."

Proving just that point, other performances delivered on the night by Taylor Swift, Kid Rock, George Strait, Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood, and Sugarland all counted upon Shure UR2/SM58 wireless systems, while Trace Adkins kept things equally as cordless, but deviated slightly from the rest of the pack with his UR2/Beta 58.

"Shure UHF-R® wireless was rock-solid the whole time," Davis adds. "Beyond the stability it offered, it also gave us the ability to quickly select or change the frequencies in use. We experienced no hits whatsoever, and in a high-profile application like this, you really don't want to even remotely entertain the possibility of one."

Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles was another big winner at this year's CMA Awards, with "Stay," a song she wrote, taking song of the year.

In addition, Shure endorsers Rascal Flatts scored best vocal group honors, beating out their heroes the Eagles and taking home the trophy for the sixth straight time.